Macey - proud mum of 15

SUPERMUM Macey has stunned vets and her owners - by giving birth to a litter of 16 Great Dane puppies. Proud owners Daniel and Jennifer Wilding, of Urmston, were expecting no more than four or five new arrivals.

SUPERMUM Macey has stunned vets and her owners - by giving birth to a litter of 16 Great Dane puppies.

Proud owners Daniel and Jennifer Wilding, of Urmston, were expecting no more than four or five new arrivals.

But Macey, a two-year-old pedigree Blue, left them shocked after 20-hours in labour.

One pup died days later - but Daniel and Jennifer are now looking for new homes for 14 after deciding to keep a male for themselves.

Daniel, 29, of Church Road, who bought Macey for £800 as a seven week-old puppy, said: "We have got our hands full that's for sure.

"We decided to have a litter because we wanted to have one of her children. She has got a lovely temperament and we had her mated a couple of months ago.

"We found out that she was pregnant through the vets. They said they could feel four puppies. Then she had a litter of 16.

Shock and horror

"Our reaction was one of shock and horror really. She had four within hours and they just kept coming.

"We were stunned. Macey is perfectly fine and healthy and so are the pups. They are just starting to walk around and play with each other. It's lovely."

Daniel and Jennifer have yet to name any of the pups and said finding room for them all to sleep was proving difficult.

Great Danes are among the largest of dog breeds. Males can grow to 86cm tall and weigh up to 72kg.

"The vets were shocked," Daniel added.

"Great Danes do have large litters but nothing this size. We are going to keep one, a boy, but we are looking for good homes for the others. The house is utter madness at the moment but it is enjoyable to see them growing."

Vet Kristine Pearson, of Trafford Veterinary Centre on Lostock Road, Urmston, said staff were shocked at the size of Macey's litter.

She said: "Bigger dogs do tend to have larger litters but this is an awful lot. To have that many survive is quite rare. Macey has done really well. We have been in close contact with the family throughout. We felt three or four lumps on examination but we did not think she would have that many. We were all really surprised. It's great news."